Updates, advisories and surprises

(5:01 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Yum Brands Inc.
YUM, -0.30%
the parent company of KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, reported late Monday its fourth-quarter profit slipped to $321 million, or 70 cents a share, from $337 million, or 72 a share, a year ago. Adjusted to exclude one-time items, the company said it earned 86 cents a share. Total revenue for the quarter rose 1% to $4.18 billion from $4.15 billion, while company revenue excluding franchise and license fees and income was unchanged at $3.59 billion. Analysts polled by FactSet, who typically cite adjusted earnings, had predicted the company would earn 79 cents a share on $4.26 billion in revenue. The company stood by its earlier outlook predicting per-share growth in 2014 of at least 20%. Yum Brands shares rose as much as 2.4% to $67.75 in after-hours trade.

Hartford Financial up as profit tops estimate

(4:35 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Shares of Hartford Financial Services Group edged higher Monday evening after the company reported a fourth-quarter profit that topped analysts' estimate. The company
HIG, -0.94%
saw core earnings of $456 million, or 94 cents a share, compared with $256 million, or 52 cents per share in the same quarter a year earlier. Analysts expected earnings of 90 cents a share, according to an estimate from FactSet. Looking ahead, Hartford forecast core earnings for the full year 2014 of $1.65 billion to $1.75 billion, including after-tax catastrophe losses of $305 million.

Anadarko Petroleum swings to a loss

(4:31 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Anadarko Petroleum Corp.
APC, -2.98%
reported late Monday a fourth-quarter loss of $770 million, or $1.53 a share, reversing a year-ago profit of $203 million, or 40 cents a share. One-time items, including those related to its spinoff of Tronox Inc., shaved $2.27 a share off the bottom line. Revenue for the quarter fell to $3.34 billion from $3.41 billion. Analysts polled by FactSet, who cite adjusted earnings, had predicted Anadarko would post a profit of 89 cents a share on $3.92 billion in revenue. Anadarko shares fell as much as 3.7% to $75.25 in after-hours trade.

Take-Two earnings surge on strong game sales

(4:29 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.
TTWO, -0.72%
on Monday reported a fiscal third-quarter profit of $578.4 million, or $4.69 a share, compared with earnings of $70.9 million, or 66 cents a share, a year ago. Excluding one-time items, the videogame publisher would have earned $210.7 million, or $1.70 a share, on $767.7 million. By that measure, Take-Two topped the estimates of analysts surveyed by FactSet, who forecast the company to earn $1.40 a share on $707.4 million in sales. Take-Two said its results were helped by strong sales from its "Grand Theft Auto" and "NBA 2K" game franchises. However, for its fiscal fourth-quarter, Take-Two forecast earnings excluding certain items of zero to 10 cents a share on revenue between $170 million and $200 million. Analysts had earlier estimated Take-Two to earn 12 cents a share on $212.1 million in sales for its fourth quarter.

General Motors says Jan. U.S. sales down 12%

(10:10 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) - General Motors Co.
GM, -1.25%
said Monday that its U.S. sales fell 12% to 171,486 units in January, from 194,699 units the year before. The company had been expected to post January sales of 176,541, according to a forecast from Edmunds.com. Part of the decline was because the company scaled back on rental-car sales. General Motors shares fell nearly 2% percent in morning trading.

Sysco net earnings slip 4.8% as sales rise

(8:16 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Sysco Corp.
SYY, +0.69%
on Monday reported fiscal second-quarter net earnings of $210.8 million, or 36 cents a share, versus $221.4 million, or 38 cents, in the same period a year earlier. Adjusted earnings were 40 cents, the Houston-based food seller and distributor said. Sales totaled $11.2 billion, up from $10.8 billion a year earlier. Analysts were expecting earnings of 40 cents a share on revenue of $11.35 billion, according to a Factset Survey. Sysco shares fell 2.2% in premarket action. "Our second quarter results were achieved in a market environment that, once again, was quite challenging for many of our customers, especially those who operate in the casual dining restaurant segment. Sales growth during the quarter was modest, and slowed somewhat as the quarter progressed, and gross margin continued to be pressured," said Chief Executive Bill DeLaney, in a news release.

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